TUESDAY: JUDGING
KEY PASSAGE
‘“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”” Luke 6:37-38 NIV
DEVOTIONAL
Have you ever heard the saying, “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” Forrest Gump truly carried wisdom unlike anyone else. However, I believe it can also be true that you CAN know what you will get in life. Examine your life simply through this thought: Am I living my life in a way that is reflective of Christ? If so, we will experience something called fruitfulness. If not, we will experience fruitlessness.
When we allow ourselves to fall into the trap of judging others based on their maturity, knowledge, personality, appearance, sin and many other things, we open the door into a very fruitless result. Judging others actually puts us into a role we are not fit for; a role only meant for God. As many people would understand, the moment you point a finger at someone else, should be the moment you realize there are four more fingers pointing right back at you.
When we live our lives realizing and recognizing that we are all a work in progress, always growing and always learning, we can see how unfruitful casting judgement is and how fruitful casting compassion is. Compassion is always better than criticism. Compassion recognizes that we are all loved by God and being worked on by Him, despite our shortcomings and imperfections.
CHALLENGE
PAUSE - Before jumping to a judgmental assumption today about someone, take 10 seconds to take the thought captive and ask, “Am I seeing this person through Christ’s eyes or the eyes of my own assumptions?”
REPLACE - When a judgmental thought has been captured, replace the assumption with another thought. Ex. “They might be carrying something I don’t understand”, “God loves them just like He loves me.”, “They may be in a place of deep hurt that needs healing.”
RESTORE - Give patience and understanding towards this person. Find a way to serve them if applicable. Or even simply ask the deeper question: Is there anything you need prayer for or support in?